Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Sugino, Campy, or Miche / White Industries

There in lies the question for the crankset, which way would you go? The Miche is about 1/2 the cost, so are the Sugino and Campy worth double the $$?

Also, any experiances with White Industries freewheels?

Thanks guys!

I bought Miche. My bike is "italian" so it was fitting.

Great cranks and BB. I think I have typed this about 7 times this week.

Also, any experiances with White Industries freewheels?



Forget the WI freewheel. Get a shimano and spend what's leftover on a high-end hooker.

I concur. The sound of the freewheel wears off in about 10 minutes. I don't think I have ever bought a freewheel in my life. they just seemed ot be on the wheels or laying around. Maybe I bought one for $10 when I was a kid.

$100 for a freewheel is a little odd to me. My buddy rides with one and it's just another freewheel.

$100 dollars for a damn freewheel is a ****ing rip off now matter how you look at it.

Shimano freewheels are fine. I haven't had any problems with mine yet. You'll save more than $80 over the WI one.

$100 dollars for a damn freewheel is a ****ing rip off now matter how you look at it.

If you measure it in terms of the benefits over a basic freewheel, you are correct. But thats true of all high end gear. The WI freewheel will normally outlast a cheaper freewheel, but it is not likely to last 4-5 times longer, which is how much more you are paying. Even if the WI bearings never die, the teeth will eventually sharkfin and will no longer function smoothly with an unworn chain. I'd love to have one, but its just not worth the money IMO.


Among the reasonably priced freewheels, I like Shimano and ACS. Shimano freewheels are smooth, silent, and almost perfectly round. Every ACS freewheel I have ever bought is slightly out of round and wobbles slightly when freewheeling...its not a big deal but is annoying if you are a perfectionist. However the ACS freewheel is easily rebuildable (the bearings are looseball, unsealed, and held in by a lockring), so in theory, will last just as long as a WI (for 20% the price), if cared for properly.

I bought the Miche crank. Great crank, amazing.

I expect it to last quite a while

If you have the money to spend and want by far the nicest freewheel you can get the White one is what you should go for. Its the smoothest, best engaging, and longest lasting freewheel you can find. It is also the most serviceable one on the market. Which means that if something does go wrong you can take it apart and fix the problem, elongating the life even more.

This is out of scope with what the OP is asking about, but not only are ACS freewheels rebuildable, they come in 13-15T sizes, athough the threads are metric in these sizes. If you build a SS wheel using a BMX flip flop hub (i've done this), you can run gear ratios that are not possible with other freewheels.

can you get the outer "cog" with all the teeth on it as a a spare part form white industries and keep the free wheel mechanism? since it is rebuild able it would make sense...

not that I am aware

the body size would be different for varied tooth counts, so it wouldnt be a simple swap.

I put the white industries freewheel on a singlepeed bike, and it has lasted 3 years on a bike I left outside all winter (in edmonton), and still runs as smooth as the day I bought it. Its worth the money if you don't want to have to maintain it. In contrast, ACS and Shimano freewheels on girlfriend and friends bike seem to have lasted no longer than six months a year... the ACS was real bad, it lasted one summer.

My NOS ACS double freewheel has a bad spot in it, it's hard to explain but when I'm pedalling sometimes there will be a faint knocking sound, then when I let it coast for about half a second and start pedalling again it is gone. Other than that it seems okay. I believe it's from 1994.

i am a big campagnolo and white industries (hubs) fan but for cranks, i would go miche. (due to cost)

the only miche product i own is a seat post but it is very nice and looks great. its a little heavier than most, but it is beautiful, italian, and longer than a bladed campagnolo alternative.

I did go with the miche and with the money I saved I got the white industries freewheel.

Call me crazy but the sound just gets to me...I couldnt justify spending upwards of 500 dlls on a bb and crank.

I did go with the miche and with the money I saved I got the white industries freewheel.

Call me crazy but the sound just gets to me...I couldnt justify spending upwards of 500 dlls on a bb and crank.

But you just spent 100 bucks on a freewheel?

Ouch.

Yeah, I was looking big picture to come under budget. Im not saving $ by any means.

I'll be one of the few people who say go with the white freewheel. Possibly it's because I've actually used one.

They are manufactured in Petaluma, CA, and the finished product is both beautiful and mechanically awesome. Many folks easily spend $30 on a fixed cog that has no moving parts, so why not $100 for a freewheel that will function amazingly? The Shimano and (especially) ACS freewheels don't compare at all in terms of engagement, wear, tolerances, and smoothness.

Said plain and simple: Don't cheap out on your drivetrain.

I didn't. Bought my Miche 2 piece cog setup for $15. I only need a lockring tool to change gearing. $30 for a cog seems excessive to me even.

<-----cheap bastard

I agree with Doc with the cog business, I bought my Origin8 cog for $8. It's a very nice cog, concentric and stiff, couldn't be happier with it.



<----cheaper bastard

How the hell do you tell if your cog is stiff? Haha.

I'm guessing you'd know if it was soft.

If you have the money to spend and want by far the nicest freewheel you can get the White one is what you should go for. Its the smoothest, best engaging, and longest lasting freewheel you can find. It is also the most serviceable one on the market. Which means that if something does go wrong you can take it apart and fix the problem, elongating the life even more.

Yes....plus, if you're running 18t, you can get the trials freewheel with 72pt engagement....well worth the $50-$70.

-Also have a Shimano, it's nice as well, but I'm a WI fanboy.
-ACS = ovalized P.O.S.

I like the white industries freewheels too. They're expensive but they're built well. I've been riding the same one for several years, and it's in the same condition as the day I got it pretty much.

i also had an italian thread so i went with the miche crank and bb. great combo. love it, im sure the campy will be just as good if not better.

Didn't bother to read everything, but as far as the miche crankset, it's awesome. I bought mine Feburary 2008 and love it. I was giving my bike a much needed cleaning yesterday, using some metal polish to remove built up grease and grime on my frame since i hadn't cleaned it in at least 6 months. It was then i realized how well certain components have treated me.

The miche crank, bb, and chain ring have been running perfect since the day they were installed
The original H+son rims, also from 19 months ago have been great, although i was a bit skeptical after that single taco incident that was everywhere
The dura ace hubs have been perfect. At first I struggled a bit with the loose ball bearing and wondered if I should have gotten something sealed, but once I get it down, i love them. No issues at all with the hubs. Clean them every 4 months or so. Replaced the balls once.
Even my (i know, haters be hating) Leader 725tr frame has treated me great with only 1 small issue. When my bike was stolen, it was missing for 6 weeks and somewhere in there I think the rear wheel was ridden loose, and the axle bolt cut into the inside of the rear drop outs. Now I have to tighten the non-drive side first or the axle spins and grind away at the aluminum. I figure if i'm still riding the frame in a few years and it's an issue, i can just have the ends replaced for cheap enough. To credit leader, they did offer to help the issue, but I never followed through with them

wait, miche is italian? I was under the impression it was a french brand...

nope, made in italy.